Devices and systems for preventing misalignment in vehicle brake assemblies

ABSTRACT

A vehicle brake assembly may include an actuation lever coupled to a brake pedal, and a push rod of a brake booster. The push rod may have a clevis on an end portion thereof. The actuation lever is configured to be pivotally supported between two prongs of the clevis via a clevis pin. The assembly may further include at least one alignment device configured to guide and position the clevis on the push rod into alignment with the actuation lever during construction of the brake assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to German Application No.102013212558.5, filed on Jun. 28, 2013, the entire content of which isincorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to devices and systems forpreventing misalignment in vehicle brake assemblies. More specifically,the present disclosure relates to alignment devices, and assemblies andmethods incorporating such devices, which prevent misalignment betweenan actuation lever, such as, for example, a pedal arm and a brakebooster during construction of a vehicle's brake assembly.

BACKGROUND

Motor vehicles may include various braking systems that enable thedriver of the vehicle to stop the vehicle by applying pressure to abrake pedal. The brake pedal, for example, is generally connected to thebraking system via a pedal arm that transmits the force applied by thedriver (i.e., via the pedal) to the braking system. Most contemporaryvehicles, which utilize disc braking systems, further include a brakebooster that amplifies the braking force provided by the pedal arm.

During construction of a vehicle's brake assembly, the brake booster isgenerally coupled to the pedal arm via a standard clevis connection, forexample, in which a clevis attached to the booster is fit over the pedalarm (i.e., in alignment with a set of bushing holes in the pedal arm),and a clevis pin is inserted to attach the booster to the pedal arm.Although the clevis assembly is intended to guide the brake booster intoproper alignment with the pedal arm, there is room for operator errorduring the construction process, which may result in variousmisalignments between the booster and pedal arm. Such misassembliesbetween the booster and pedal arm (which are both critical portions ofthe vehicle's braking system) may, for example, lead to the malfunctionand/or failure of the braking system, which poses a great safetyconcern, as well as requiring costly repairs to the vehicle.

It may, therefore, be advantageous to provide alignment devices, andbrake pedal assemblies and methods incorporating such devices, whichprevent misalignment between the pedal arm and brake booster duringconstruction of a vehicle's brake assembly.

SUMMARY

In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a vehicle brake assembly may include an actuation levercoupled to a brake pedal, and a push rod of a brake booster. The pushrod may have a clevis on an end portion thereof. The actuation lever isconfigured to be pivotally supported between two prongs of the clevisvia a clevis pin. The assembly may further include at least onealignment device configured to guide and position the clevis on the pushrod into alignment with the actuation lever during construction of thebrake assembly.

In accordance with various additional exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, an alignment device may include a saddle elementconfigured to sit on a pedal arm of a brake assembly. The saddle elementmay include first and second U-shaped ends configured to receive thepedal arm. The first and second U-shaped ends may be spaced apart fromone another by an opening defined by first and second lateral wingelements. The first and second lateral wing elements may form acatchment area configured to guide and position a push rod of a brakebooster into alignment with the pedal arm.

In accordance with various additional exemplary embodiments of thepresent disclosure, a vehicle brake pedal assembly may include a pedalarm comprising a pair of bushing holes on opposite sides of the arm. Theassembly may further include an alignment device comprising a saddleelement comprising first and second U-shaped ends that receive the pedalarm. The first and second U-shaped ends may be spaced apart from oneanother by an opening defined by first and second lateral wing elements.The first and second lateral wing elements may form a catchment areaconfigured to guide and position a push rod of a brake booster intoalignment with the pedal arm.

In accordance with various further exemplary embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a method of constructing a vehicle brake assembly mayinclude joining an alignment device with an actuation lever coupled to abrake pedal of the assembly or a push rod of a brake booster of theassembly. The method may additionally include guiding the push rod ofthe brake booster into alignment with the actuation lever via thealignment device. The method may further include coupling the push rodof the brake booster to the actuation lever.

Additional objects and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth inpart in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious fromthe description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. Theobjects and advantages of the disclosure will be realized and attainedby means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the disclosure, as claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the disclosure andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

At least some features and advantages will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description of embodiments consistent therewith,which description should be considered with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an alignmentdevice in accordance with the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the alignment device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the alignment device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a vehiclebrake assembly, including a brake pedal assembly, in accordance with thepresent disclosure, which illustrates the alignment device of FIG. 1affixed to a pedal arm of the brake pedal assembly;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a rear view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a partial, side view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a partial, front view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a partial, side view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG. 4illustrating how the alignment device prevents misalignment of a brakebooster and the pedal arm;

FIG. 10 is a partial, front view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG. 4illustrating how the alignment device prevents misalignment of the brakebooster and the pedal arm;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of avehicle brake assembly, including a brake pedal assembly, in accordancewith the present disclosure, which illustrates another exemplaryembodiment of an alignment device in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 12 is a partial, enlarged view of the vehicle brake assembly ofFIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a partial, rear view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG.11;

FIG. 14 is a schematic view of yet another exemplary embodiment of analignment device, in accordance with the present disclosure, that iscoupled to a push rod of a brake booster of a vehicle brake assembly;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of avehicle brake assembly, which illustrates yet another exemplaryembodiment of an alignment device in accordance with the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 16 is a partial, top view of the vehicle brake assembly of FIG. 15illustrating how the alignment device prevents misalignment of the brakebooster and the pedal arm.

Although the following detailed description makes reference toillustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, andvariations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, it is intended that the claimed subject matter be viewedbroadly.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The variousexemplary embodiments are not intended to limit the disclosure. To thecontrary, the disclosure is intended to cover alternatives,modifications, and equivalents.

In accordance with various exemplary embodiments, the present disclosurecontemplates a vehicle brake assembly including an actuation lever(i.e., that is coupled to a brake pedal), a push rod (i.e., of a brakebooster), and at least one alignment device that is configured to guideand position a clevis on an end of the push rod into alignment with theactuation lever during construction of the brake assembly. In variousembodiments, the at least one alignment device may include a body and atleast one sliding surface that extends laterally away from the body toguide and position the clevis into alignment with the actuation lever.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate, forexample, an alignment device comprising first and second slidingsurfaces running obliquely to one another. In this manner, the slidingsurfaces form a pair of lateral wing elements that extend laterally awayfrom the body to form a catchment area (i.e., spanning between thewings). For instance, the embodiments described herein contemplate analignment device that is configured to be affixed to a pedal arm of thebrake assembly (which acts as the actuation lever), and which may guideand position the push rod of the brake booster into proper alignmentwith the pedal arm via the catchment area during construction of thebrake assembly.

Various embodiments described herein, for example, contemplate analignment device comprising a saddle element that is configured to siton the pedal arm. The saddle element comprises first and second U-shapedends that are configured to receive the pedal arm. In variousembodiments, for example, the first and second U-shaped ends are spacedapart from one another by an opening that is defined by first and secondlateral wing elements. In this manner, when the device is seated on thepedal arm, the wing elements may extend angularly outward from the pedalarm (which is exposed via the opening) to guide and position the clevisof the push rod into proper alignment with the pedal arm (i.e., throughthe opening in the structure), thereby preventing misassembly of thebooster and pedal arm.

FIGS. 1-3 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of an alignment device 10in accordance with the present disclosure. The alignment device 10includes a body comprising a saddle element 11 that includes a base 12and a pair of sidewalls 14, 16. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sidewalls14, 16 of the saddle element 11 extend in parallel from the base 12 toform first and second U-shaped ends 15, 17 that are configured toreceive a pedal arm of a vehicle brake assembly. As shown best perhapsin FIG. 3, the first and second U-shaped ends 15, 17 are spaced apartfrom one another by an opening 20 that is defined by first and secondsliding surfaces 21, 23 that form first and second wing elements 24, 26(which extend angularly outward from each respective sidewall 14, 16).In various additional embodiments, at least one of the sidewalls 14, 16may include a flange 18 with a circular bore 19 such that, when thedevice 10 is seated on the pedal arm, the bore in the sidewall isaligned with a bushing hole in the pedal arm (see FIG. 4).

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-6, in various exemplary embodiments, thesaddle element 11 is, therefore, substantially U-shaped such that, whenthe device 10 is seated on the pedal arm, the device 10 wraps at leastpartially around the pedal arm to envelope an area in which a brakebooster is coupled to the pedal arm (see FIGS. 4-6), while stillallowing access to this area through the opening 20 between the U-shapedends 15, 17. In various embodiments, for example, the saddle element mayhave a length L_(S) of about 84.5 mm to about 85.5 mm, a height H ofabout 22.5 mm to about 23.5 mm, and a thickness T of about 21.0 mm toabout 22.0 mm, with an opening 20 having the same thickness T extendinga length L_(O) of about 57 mm to about 58 mm along a longitudinal axis Aof the saddle element 11 (i.e., extending a length L_(O) between theu-shaped ends 15, 17).

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lateral wing elements 24, 26 extendoutwardly from each respective sidewall 14, 16 at an angle θ to definethe opening 20. In various embodiments, for example, the opening 20 mayextend along the base 12 of the saddle element 11 (i.e., along thelongitudinal axis A of the device 10) between the U-shaped ends 15, 17.In various embodiments for example, the wings 24, 26 may extendoutwardly from each respective sidewall 14, 16 at an angle θ of about 26degrees to about 36 degrees.

The wing elements 24, 26 may, therefore, define a catchment area 25spanning a distance D across the saddle element 11 and opening 20. Invarious embodiments, for example, the catchment area 25 may span adistance D of about 29 mm to about 30 mm across the saddle element 11.In other words, the wing elements 24, 26 may have a wingspan of about 35mm to about 36 mm that is oriented substantially perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis A of the alignment device 10.

Thus, when the alignment device 10 is seated on the pedal arm, the wingelements 24, 26 may extend outwardly (e.g., at an angle θ) from eachside of the pedal arm to catch a push rod of a brake booster (i.e.,within the catchment area 25) and guide and position the push rod intoproper alignment with the pedal arm (i.e., through the opening 20between the U-shaped ends 15, 17). That is, the wing elements 24, 26form a guide that is configured to receive prong elements of the pushrod and align those elements on either side of the pedal arm so that theprongs are between a respective wing element 24, 26 and side wall of thepedal arm (See, e.g., FIGS. 7 and 8).

Those of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the alignmentdevice 10 described above with reference to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-6is exemplary only and that alignment devices in accordance with thepresent disclosure may have various configurations, shapes (i.e., havingvarious cross-sections), and/or dimensions, which include, for example,various configurations, shapes, and/or dimensions of openings 20 andwing elements 24, 26, without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure and claims. Furthermore, alignment devices in accordance withthe present disclosure may be formed of various materials, including,but not limited to, steel, aluminum, plastic, ceramic, and/or variouscomposites thereof.

As above, various embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate avehicle brake assembly including, for example, at least one alignmentdevice 10 as described above. FIGS. 4-8 illustrate, for example, avehicle brake assembly 300 comprising a vehicle brake pedal assembly 100that is coupled to a brake booster assembly 200. In accordance withvarious embodiments, the brake pedal assembly 100 may include anactuation lever, such as, for example, a brake pedal arm 102 that iscoupled to a brake pedal 104; and the brake booster assembly 300 mayinclude a push rod 204 having a clevis 208 on an end portion thereof. Inthis manner, to construct the brake assembly 300, the actuation lever isconfigured to be pivotally supported between two prongs 209 of theclevis 208, for example, via a clevis pin 50 (see FIGS. 7 and 8). Thoseof ordinary skill in the art would understand that the vehicle brakeassembly 300 of FIGS. 4-8 is exemplary only and that such assemblies mayhave various configurations and/or additional components that are notillustrated in the figures. A booster bracket 206 and a clevis pin 50are not illustrated in the view of FIGS. 4-6, for example, to provide abetter view of the brake pedal assembly 100.

As shown in the embodiment of FIGS. 4-8, in accordance with variousembodiments, the brake pedal assembly 100 includes an actuation lever(e.g., pedal arm 102), a brake pedal 104, and an alignment device 10. Invarious exemplary embodiments, the alignment device 10 is integrallyformed with the pedal arm 102. In various additional embodiments, thealignment device 10 is affixed to the pedal arm 102. For example, invarious embodiments, the alignment device may be welded to the pedal arm102.

As above, the alignment device 10 may include a body comprising a saddleelement 11 that wraps at least partially around the pedal arm 102 toenvelope the area on the pedal arm 102 in which the brake boosterassembly 200 is coupled to the pedal arm 102, while still allowingaccess to this area through an opening 20 between first and secondU-shaped ends 15, 17 of the saddle element 11. As best shown perhaps inFIG. 4, in various embodiments, for example, at least one of thesidewalls 14, 16 of the saddle element 11 may include a flange 18 with acircular bore 19 (the sidewall 24 including the flange 18 in theillustrated embodiment of the alignment device 10), and the alignmentdevice 10 may be positioned on the pedal arm 102 such that the circularbore 19 in the sidewall 24 is aligned with a bushing hole 106 in thepedal arm 102.

As shown best perhaps in FIG. 8, the alignment device 10 may furtherinclude at least one sliding surface, two sliding surfaces 21, 23 beingshown in the embodiment of FIGS. 4-8, that extend laterally away fromthe body of the device 10 to guide and position the clevis 208 on thepush rod 204 into alignment with the actuation lever (e.g., brake pedalarm 102). In other words, the sliding surfaces 21, 23 run obliquely toone another such that distal ends of each of the sliding surfaces 21, 23are situated at a greater distance apart from one another than proximalends of each of the sliding surfaces. The opening 20 is, therefore,defined by the sliding surfaces 21, 23, which form first and second wingelements 24, 26 that extend outwardly from each respective sidewall 14,16 of the saddle element 11 (e.g., at an angle θ) on each side of thepedal arm 102. In this manner, the wing elements 24, 26 may form acatchment area 25 (or a funnel) spanning a distance D across the pedalarm 102 (i.e., across the saddle element 11 and the opening 20) to guideand position the brake booster assembly 200 into proper alignment withthe pedal arm assembly 100.

As above, in various exemplary embodiments, the brake booster assembly200 comprises a brake booster 202 having a push rod 204 that isconfigured to be coupled to the pedal arm 102 via a clevis 208. Thepedal arm 102 comprises, for example, a pair of bushing holes 106 onopposite sides of the arm 102 (only one bushing hole 106 being visiblein the view of FIG. 4), which are configured to be aligned with holes inthe clevis 208. As would, therefore, be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art, when the brake booster 202 is in proper alignment withthe pedal arm 102 (i.e., in a position to be properly assembled with thepedal arm 102), the clevis 208 will sit on the pedal arm 102 such that ahole 210 in each prong 209 of the clevis 208 aligns with one of thebushing holes 106 of the pedal arm 102 (i.e., such that the prongs 209of the clevis 208 rest on opposite sides of the pedal arm 102). A clevispin 50 may then be inserted through the aligned holes 210 and 106 tosecure the push rod 204 to the pedal arm 102.

As shown in FIGS. 7-10, the wing elements 24, 26 of the alignment device10 may, therefore, extend outwardly from each side of the pedal arm 102to catch the push rod 204 of the brake booster 202 (i.e., within thecatchment area 25) and guide and position the push rod 204 (i.e., alongthe sliding surfaces 21, 23) into proper alignment with the pedal arm102 (i.e., through the opening 20 between the U-shaped ends 15, 17). Inthis manner, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the wing elements 24, 26 mayprevent the clevis 208 of the push rod 204 from being misaligned withthe pedal arm 102 (e.g., by being positioned along one side of the pedalarm 102), by preventing the alignment of the holes 210 and 106, and thusinsertion of the clevis pin 50, unless the clevis 208 is properlyaligned with the pedal arm 102. In other words, the wing elements 24, 26may guide the clevis 208 over the pedal arm 102 such that a prong 209 ispositioned on each side of the pedal arm 102 and the holes 210 of theclevis 208 are in alignment with the bushing holes 106 of the pedal arm102.

In various embodiments, for example, the push rod 204 is generallyallowed only about 7 mm of movement in any one direction, and thealignment device 10 is dimensioned such that it is not possible to movethe clevis 208 of the push rod 204 out of alignment with the pedal arm102 (within its allotted area of movement) without the wing elements 24,26 interfering with the clevis 208. In accordance with variousembodiments, for example, there is a span of about 16.4 mm between theprongs 209 of the clevis 208, and only a space of about 4.5 mm between aside portion of the pedal arm 102 and the alignment device 10 (i.e.,when the alignment device 10 is seated on the pedal arm 102). The clevis208 will, therefore, not fit between the alignment device 10 and thepedal arm 102, and the wing elements 24, 26 will interfere with theprongs 208 of the clevis 208 if the push rod 204 is rotated outwardwithin its 7 mm of movement.

Those of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the vehiclebrake assembly 300 and the vehicle brake pedal assembly 100 describedabove with reference to the embodiment of FIGS. 4-10 are exemplary onlyand that vehicle brake assemblies and brake pedal assemblies inaccordance with the present disclosure may have various configurationsand/or components, including various types and/or configurations ofactuation levers (e.g., pedal arms 102) and brake pedals 104, withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure and claims.Furthermore, as above, vehicle brake assemblies and brake pedalassemblies in accordance with the present disclosure may include varioustypes and/or configurations of alignment devices 10, having variousshapes and/or dimensions, which are coupled to the pedal arm 102 and/orany other portion of either of the assemblies, via various methodsand/or techniques.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, for example, in various additionalembodiments, a vehicle brake assembly 500 may comprise a vehicle brakepedal assembly 400 including an actuation lever 403 that is coupled tothe brake pedal arm 102. Accordingly, in the embodiment of FIG. 11, toconstruct the brake assembly 500, the brake booster 202 is connected tothe pedal arm 102 via the actuation lever 403.

As shown in FIGS. 11-13, in such embodiments, an alignment device 60 maybe coupled to the actuation lever 403. Similar to the alignment device10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-10, the alignment device 60 may include a body61 that is configured to be connected to the actuation lever 403, and asliding surface 62 that extends laterally away from the body 61 to guideand position the clevis 208 on the push rod 204 into alignment with theactuation lever 403. In various embodiments, for example, the slidingsurface 62 of the alignment device 60 has an offset 63, such that thesliding surface 62 runs substantially parallel to the body 61 at apredefined distance therefrom. In other words, the predefined distancebetween the sliding surface 62 and the body 61 (set by the offset 63)defines the distance that the clevis 208 of the push rod 204 may bepositioned along the side of the actuation lever 403 (i.e., in the eventof a misalignment between the push rod 204 and the actuation lever 403),and may prevent connection of the actuation lever 403 with the clevis204 via the clevis pin 50.

In various further embodiments, at least one alignment device may becoupled to the push rod of the brake booster, such as, for example, tothe clevis 208 of the push rod 204, to guide and position the clevis 208on the push rod 204 into alignment with the actuation lever (e.g., brakepedal arm 102) during construction of the brake assembly. As illustratedin FIG. 14, for example, in various embodiments, an alignment device 70may be fitted on each prong 209 of the clevis 208 of the push rod 204.Similar to the alignment devices 10 and 60 described above, eachalignment device 70 may include a body 71 that is configured to beconnected to a respective prong 209 of the clevis 208 (e.g., by slidingover the prong 209), and a sliding surface 72 that extends laterallyaway from each body 71. In this manner, as shown in FIG. 14, the slidingsurfaces 72 may form a funnel to guide and position the clevis 208 onthe push rod 204 into alignment with the brake pedal arm 102, such thatthe push rod 204 and pedal arm 102 may be connected via the clevis pin50.

As illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16, in various additional embodiments, analignment device 80 may be fitted on each prong 209 of the clevis 208 ofthe push rod 204. Each alignment device 80 may include, for example, aspacer lug 81 that extends laterally outward for a predefined distancefrom each respective prong 209. In other words, the predefined distance(set by each spacer lug 81) may define the distance that the clevis 208of the push rod 204 may be positioned along each side of the brake pedalarm 102 (i.e., in the event of a misalignment between the push rod 204and the pedal arm 102 as shown in FIG. 16), and may prevent connectionof the actuation lever 102 with the clevis 204 via the clevis pin 50.

The spacer lugs 81 may be fitted on the prongs 209 of the clevis 204 viaany methods and/or techniques known to those of ordinary skill in theart, including, for example, being integrally formed with the prongs 209when the clevis is manufactured.

The present disclosure further contemplates methods of constructing avehicle brake assembly, such as, for example, the vehicle brakeassemblies 300, 500 including the vehicle brake pedal assemblies 100,400 and the brake booster assembly 200 described above with reference toFIGS. 4-16. In accordance with various exemplary embodiments, toconstruct a vehicle brake assembly 300, 500, an alignment device 10, 60,70, 80 is joined to an actuation lever 102, 403 of the vehicle brakepedal assembly 100, 400, or to a push rod 204 of a brake booster 202 ofthe brake booster assembly 200. As above, in various embodiments, analignment device 10, 60, 70 may include at least one sliding surface 21,23, 61, 71 that extends laterally away from a body of the device. Invarious embodiments, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-10, analignment device 10 may include a pair of lateral wing elements 24, 26extending outwardly relative to the brake pedal arm 102 to define acatchment area 25 between the wing elements 24, 26.

In various embodiments, the alignment device 10, 60, 70, 80 may bejoined to actuation lever 102, 403 or the push rod 204 by welding thealignment device 10, 60, 70, 80 to the actuation lever 102, 403 or thepush rod 204. In various additional embodiments, the alignment device10, 60, 70, 80 may be integrally formed with the actuation lever 102,403 or the push rod 204, such as, for example, by being molded with theactuation lever 102, 403 or the push rod 204. As would be understood bythose of ordinary skill in the art, however, the alignment device 10,60, 80, 80 may be joined to the actuation lever 102, 403 or the push rod204 using various techniques and/or methods, without departing from thescope of the present disclosure and claims.

The push rod 204 of the brake booster 202 is then guided into alignmentwith the actuation lever 102, 403 via the alignment device 10, 60, 70,80; and coupled to the actuation lever 102, 403 via, for example, aclevis pin 50.

In various embodiments, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 4-10, thepush rod 204 may be guided into the catchment area 25 (i.e., defined bythe wing elements 24, 26) to align the push rod 204 with the actuationlever (i.e., pedal arm 102). As above, in various embodiments, the pedalarm 102 may include a pair of bushing holes 106 on opposite sides of thepedal arm 102, which are configured to be aligned with holes in a clevis208 at an end of the push rod 204. Thus, the push rod 204 is guided intothe catchment area 25 such that the clevis 208 at the end of the pushrod 204 is aligned with the pedal arm 102. In other words, the clevis208 is guided over the pedal arm 102 by the wing elements 24, 26, suchthat a prong 209 on each side of the clevis 208 is positioned on eachside of the pedal arm 102 and a hole 210 in each prong 209 is alignedwith one of the bushing holes 106 in the pedal arm 102.

When the push rod 204 is in proper alignment with the pedal arm 102, thepush rod 204 is then coupled to the pedal arm 102, for example, byinserting a clevis pin 50 through the aligned holes 210 and 106 of theclevis 208 and the pedal arm 102. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, forexample, when the push rod 204 is not in proper alignment with the pedalarm 102, the clevis pin 50 may not be inserted, but is insteadobstructed by the wing element 24, thereby preventing misassembly of thebrake pedal assembly 100 and the brake booster assembly 200 duringconstruction of the vehicle brake assembly 300. As above, the push rod204 is generally allowed only about 7 mm of movement in any onedirection, and the alignment device 10 is dimensioned such that it isnot possible to move the clevis 208 of the push rod 204 out of alignmentwith the pedal arm 102 without the wing elements 24, 26 interfering withthe clevis 208.

While the present disclosure has been disclosed in terms of exemplaryembodiments in order to facilitate better understanding of thedisclosure, it should be appreciated that the disclosure can be embodiedin various ways without departing from the principle of the disclosure.Therefore, the disclosure should be understood to include all possibleembodiments which can be embodied without departing from the principleof the disclosure set out in the appended claims. Furthermore, althoughthe present disclosure has been discussed with relation to motorvehicles incorporating power braking systems, those of ordinary skill inthe art would understand that the present teachings as disclosed wouldwork equally well for any type of vehicle, incorporating any type ofbraking system, which utilizes a similar clevis-type connection.

For the purposes of this specification and appended claims, unlessotherwise indicated, all numbers expressing quantities, percentages orproportions, and other numerical values used in the specification andclaims, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by theterm “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, thenumerical parameters set forth in the written description and claims areapproximations that may vary depending upon the desired propertiessought to be obtained by the present disclosure. At the very least, andnot as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine ofequivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter shouldat least be construed in light of the number of reported significantdigits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

It is noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims,the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the,” include plural referents unlessexpressly and unequivocally limited to one referent. Thus, for example,reference to “a sensor” includes two or more different sensors. As usedherein, the term “include” and its grammatical variants are intended tobe non-limiting, such that recitation of items in a list is not to theexclusion of other like items that can be substituted or added to thelisted items.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the system and method of thepresent disclosure without departing from the scope its teachings. Otherembodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in theart from consideration of the specification and practice of theteachings disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andembodiment described herein be considered as exemplary only.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle brake assembly, comprising: anactuation lever coupled to a brake pedal; a push rod of a brake booster,the push rod having a clevis on an end portion thereof, wherein theactuation lever is configured to be pivotally supported between twoprongs of the clevis via a clevis pin; and at least one alignment deviceconfigured to guide and position the clevis on the push rod intoalignment with the actuation lever during construction of the brakeassembly.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuation lever is abrake pedal arm.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuation leveris coupled to a brake pedal arm.
 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein theat least one alignment device is coupled to the actuation lever.
 5. Theassembly of claim 4, wherein the at least one alignment device comprisesa saddle element configured to sit on the actuation lever, the saddleelement comprising first and second U-shaped ends configured to receivethe actuation lever.
 6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at leastone alignment device is coupled to the clevis on the push rod.
 7. Theassembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one alignment device comprisesa body and at least one sliding surface, the at least one slidingsurface extending laterally away from the body to guide and position theclevis on the push rod into alignment with the actuation lever.
 8. Theassembly of claim 7, wherein the at least one sliding surface has anoffset that runs substantially parallel to the body at a predefineddistance therefrom.
 9. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the at least onesliding surface comprises first and second sliding surfaces runningobliquely to one another such that distal ends of each of the slidingsurfaces are situated at a greater distance from one another thanproximal ends of each of the sliding surfaces.
 10. The assembly of claim9, wherein the first and second sliding surfaces comprise first andsecond lateral wing elements that form a catchment area therebetween.11. An alignment device, comprising: a saddle element configured to siton a pedal arm of a brake assembly, the saddle element comprising firstand second U-shaped ends configured to receive the pedal arm, whereinthe first and second U-shaped ends are spaced apart from one another byan opening defined by first and second lateral wing elements; andwherein the first and second lateral wing elements form a catchment areaconfigured to guide and position a push rod of a brake booster intoalignment with the pedal arm.
 12. The device of claim 11, wherein atleast one sidewall of the saddle element comprises a flange with acircular bore.
 13. The device of claim 12, wherein the saddle element isconfigured to sit on the pedal arm such that the circular bore in the atleast one sidewall is aligned with a bushing hole in the pedal arm. 14.The device of claim 11, wherein the opening extends along a longitudinalaxis of the saddle element.
 15. The device of claim 11, wherein thewings extend outwardly at an angle of about 26 degrees to about 36degrees.
 16. The device of claim 11, wherein the catchment area isconfigured to guide and position a clevis on an end of the push rod intoalignment with the pedal arm.
 17. A vehicle brake pedal assembly,comprising: a pedal arm comprising a pair of bushing holes on oppositesides of the arm; and an alignment device comprising a saddle elementcomprising first and second U-shaped ends that receive the pedal arm,wherein the first and second U-shaped ends are spaced apart from oneanother by an opening defined by first and second lateral wing elements;and wherein the first and second lateral wing elements form a catchmentarea configured to guide and position a push rod of a brake booster intoalignment with the pedal arm.
 18. The device of claim 17, wherein theopening extends along a longitudinal axis of the alignment device. 19.The device of claim 17, wherein the wings extend outwardly at an angleof about 26 degrees to about 36 degrees.
 20. The device of claim 17,wherein the catchment area is configured to guide and position a clevison an end of the push rod into alignment with the pedal arm.
 21. Thedevice of claim 20, wherein the clevis comprises two prongs with a holein each prong, and wherein the catchment area is configured to guide andposition the clevis over the pedal arm such that a prong of the clevisis positioned on each side of the pedal arm and the holes of the clevisare in alignment with the bushing holes of the pedal arm.
 22. The deviceof claim 17, wherein the alignment device is integral with the pedalarm.
 23. The device of claim 17, wherein the alignment device is affixedto the pedal arm.
 24. The device of claim 23, wherein the alignmentdevice is welded to the pedal arm.
 25. A method of constructing avehicle brake assembly, comprising: joining an alignment device with anactuation lever coupled to a brake pedal of the assembly or a push rodof a brake booster of the assembly; guiding the push rod of the brakebooster into alignment with the actuation lever via the alignmentdevice; and coupling the push rod of the brake booster to the actuationlever.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein joining the alignment devicewith an actuation lever comprises joining an alignment device with apedal arm, the alignment device comprising a pair of wings extendingoutwardly relative to the pedal arm and defining a catchment areabetween the wings.
 27. The method of claim 26, wherein guiding the pushrod of the brake booster comprises guiding the push rod into thecatchment area to align the push rod with the pedal arm.
 28. The methodof claim 25, wherein joining the alignment device to the actuation leveror the push rod comprises welding the alignment device to the actuationlever or the push rod.
 29. The method of claim 25, wherein joining thealignment device to the actuation lever or the push rod comprisesforming the alignment device with the actuation lever or the push rod.30. The method of claim 25, wherein guiding the push rod of the brakebooster into alignment with the actuation lever comprises aligning aclevis at an end of the push rod with the actuation lever.
 31. Themethod of claim 30, wherein aligning the clevis with the actuation levercomprises guiding the clevis over the actuation lever such that a prongon each side of the clevis is positioned on each side of the actuationlever and a hole in each prong is aligned with a bushing hole in eachside of the actuation lever.
 32. The method of claim 31, whereincoupling the push rod of the brake booster to the actuation levercomprises inserting a pin through the aligned holes of the clevis andthe pedal arm.